While the Crime Writers' Association of Great Britain began presenting
awards for excellence in crime writing in 1955, the John Creasey Memorial
Award was not instituted until 1973. It is made for the best crime novel
by an author who has not previously published a full-length work of fiction.
John Creasey (1908-1973) was an English author of mystery, crime, suspense,
and detective novels. Creasey was the most prolific writer in the genre,
with close to 600 books published under twenty-eight pseudonyms.